Meet Erin Salazar

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Salazar. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.

Hi Erin, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

The Arts.
I left my hometown in the Mojave desert when I was 17 to pursue a higher education, a Bachelor of Fine Arts at San José State University, focused on drawing and painting as a studio practice. Like many first-generation college students from poor, dysfunctional, and addicted families, leaving siblings and friends behind to forge a new path was a juxtaposition of searing pain and the exhilaration of liberation from the ills of poverty. Compared to my small and insular town, San José was an absolute 180º shift – it is vibrant, diverse, cosmopolitan. Here, I decided, I could reinvent myself and live out my urban bohemia dreams of becoming a real starving artist: paint murals, show at galleries, build a studio, be mysterious, and maybe even get a beret.

Graduating college as an arts student is atypical; instead of writing a thesis, you write an artist statement and present your senior show. My show was titled “CUSTOMS” and was a nod to both my hometown cultural customs and the “lowbrow” pinstripe customization of hot rods (my family is blue-collar mechanics and car people) which was one of the only artistic practices I brought with me to my new life. My mom and dad came to see “CUSTOMS” and were overjoyed that I kept a piece of my culture core to my artistic practice. My dad bought me a small bouquet of flowers, a meaningful gesture I know he could barely afford – Those dried flowers still hang in my studio today.

Things went downhill pretty fast. My dad passed that year and my mom the next, both at 55. In that time my little sister came out of rehab and decided to leave the black hole of the Mojave to San José, too. I couldn’t afford to house both of us, so we started squatting in my art studio, an 800sf room with a sink in a converted cannery where many artists had studios, but only a few were “definitely not living there”. So there I was, in my very early 20’s, depressed, still bartending, making sad girl artwork, throwing warehouse art parties, learning about graffiti, and back into the system of food stamps and welfare while sharing a room with my little sister.

To pay for food, I started picking up mural gigs at bars and restaurants in exchange for credit and quickly made a name for myself. I started picking up so much work that I had to organize work for other artists (AKA Project Management), connecting them to clients based on what they were looking for (AKA Curating), and ensuring that artists were being paid enough for the work that they were doing (AKA Advocacy). I began to see that I could be more impactful working for others than working for myself. I quit my bartending job in 2013 and started forming a nonprofit organization.

To answer the question “how did I find my purpose?” I will say: The Arts.
The arts have granted me the relentless pursuit of optimism in the face of imminent death. I maintain an active arts practice while leading a nonprofit organization with love. My purpose is still rolling out in front of me.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

As an artist, I explore “Women’s Work” in the decorative arts, shedding light on the often overlooked legacy of women who created these pieces. These works, typically unattributed or unsigned, often hold significant cultural importance, with women relegated to the creation of undervalued pieces like decorative plates, embroidered textiles, and hand-painted pottery. I see these pieces as vital cultural artifacts, celebrating their contributions and challenging societal norms by reclaiming and amplifying the contributions of women to visual culture and identity. Specifically, I leverage a Mexican floral painting technique taught to me by my abuela (grandma) and work primarily on a flat black background as is often seen on decorative pieces throughout Mexico. My artworks serve as homages to the resilience and creativity of women. I maintain an active arts practice and have picked up some very interesting work in the last few years, including designing the Women of Teal crest for the San José Sharks and designing the 2024-2025 season posters for San José Opera,

As the Founding Executive Director of the nonprofit Local Color, I am dedicated to furthering our mission to create equitable pathways for creatives to thrive. Through a recent strategic planning initiative, we have come to understand that Local Color is more than an arts organization, Local Color is an Artists’ Organization. Local Color meets its mission through the commission and facilitation of public and private art, the establishment of affordable creative workspaces, the management of artist-led workshops, and providing fiscal sponsorship for independent artists, cultural workers, and community organizers. Since 2015, my team and I have facilitated over 260 murals, opened 69,000 square feet of affordable studio spaces, and redistributed over $1.2 million to support creatives and their visions in Santa Clara County. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Drawing & Painting Studio Practice from San José State University and a Master of Science Degree in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice.

On the horizon for Local Color is our annual 31 Skulls Showcase & Auction. 31 Skulls started as an experimental fundraiser. Dreamed up in 2020 as a way for artists to connect from a distance and raise much-needed funding, the event aimed for connection as the world went virtual. The concept has remained the same: 31 Artists contribute a range of hand-decorated, carved, and sculpted ceramic skulls to this unique art show.

Following a “Goth Formal” dress code, attendees can view the skulls up close and meet Artists in a night of art, music, ghost photobooth, and fashion. Original Skulls are auctioned during the event, with up to 25% of the winning bid going to the Artist.

All are welcome to join us on October 25, 2024.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1) Grit & Moxie
Grit refers to a person’s ability to maintain long-term effort and interest towards achieving goals. It involves perseverance and passion for long-term objectives, the capacity to overcome obstacles, and the drive to keep going despite difficulties.
Moxie is a term that conveys a combination of courage, determination, and resourcefulness. A spirited and energetic approach to life’s challenges often involves a certain degree of boldness and audacity.
Both are critical, and Fear is a bad excuse.

2) Leadership comes in two shapes: Towers & Pyramids

Towers can reach very high, and be built very fast, but can fall down easily when the winds are not favorable. Beware of Tower-shaped leadership.
Pyramids are built slowly, layer by layer. In order to reach new heights, relationships and new foundations need to be established. When winds are not favorable to pyramids, they are much, much harder to topple. Embrace Pyramid-shaped leadership and remember: slowly is the fastest way to get where you want to be.

3) There is a highly mathematical formula for creating your own good luck:
Luck = Preparation + Opportunity

But the tricky part is that preparation and opportunity are often disguised as failure. Preparation can look like taking advantage of new experiences, listening to those around you, and failing miserably. Opportunity can look like a closed door, an open door, or flashing red lights. All of these are important for building luck!

I wish you Good Luck!

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The most challenging situation I have on my plate right now is securing operational funding for our organization, Local Color. We have had tremendous growth and positivity the last few years and are now a team of 9 individuals. Securing long-term operational funding for the organization is a constant challenge and to mitigate that we are actively searching for funders who’s interests align with the work of Local Color. Additionally, I recently joined a group called the Association of Fundraising Professionals and am working with a mentor to build a major donor program. Through this we are hoping to connect with philanthropic individuals or families who share our values and see the mission of building equitable pathways for artist to thrive as a just and noble cause.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.localcolorsj.org | www.erinsalazar.com
• Instagram: @localcolorsj.org | @mauv.es
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/localcolor | https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-salazar-localcolorsj/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@localcolorsj/videos

Image Credits

Alejandro Berber
Benjamin Henderson